TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese state-run media attempted to draw parallels between the U.S.' relationship with Taiwan and Washington's precipitous abandonment of Kabul in a series of op-eds on Monday (Aug. 16).

China's state-operated mouthpiece the Global Times published a series of opinion pieces seeking to capitalize on the catastrophic capitulation of the Afghan government to Taliban guerillas and the chaotic evacuation of the Kabul airport. In one article, titled "Afghanistan today, Taiwan tomorrow? US treachery scares DPP," the tabloid claimed that given America's track record of abandoning allies, Taiwan cannot count on the U.S. in the event of an attack by China.

The newspaper cited an anonymous "internet user" in Taiwan as saying "Yesterday's Saigon, today's Afghanistan, and tomorrow's Taiwan?" The authors interpreted this to mean that the "so-called alliance" between Taiwan and the U.S. is nothing but an empty promise that will eventually "leave the Taiwan people hurting alone."

Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, was cited as saying that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is a "warning to the Taiwan secessionists, or, rather, a forecast." Li asserted that if Taiwan, "misled by secessionists," continues on a path to directly confront China, the U.S. "will cast Taiwan aside just as it has done with Vietnam, and now Afghanistan."

The article cited "observers" as doubting the geopolitical value of Taiwan to the U.S. and raised doubts about the costs the Biden administration is willing to bear for the "interests of Taiwan secessionists" compared to the time and resources invested in Afghanistan.

Jin Canrong (金燦榮), associate dean of Renmin University of China's School of International Studies, was quoted as saying that "Those who have a clear mind should understand that Taiwan residents can't rely on the US," and while conceding that the situation in Taiwan is different, Jin asserted: "there's one thing in common — America's empty promise."

The authors cited "one media outlet in Taiwan" as saying that there are now doubts in Taiwan as to whether the U.S. will honor its commitments and use military force in the country's defense. The unnamed outlet allegedly stated that the U.S. commitment is now "full of question marks" given Washington's "blurry" policy toward Taipei and its "snap decision on Afghanistan."

Political commentator and member of the People First Party, Lee Zheng-hao (李正皓), on his Facebook page on Monday, said that China is nervous because now that the U.S. has left behind 20 years of involvement in Afghanistan, it can concentrate its military power and resources on countering the communist country for the next 20 years. He described attempts by Chinese state-run media to compare Taiwan to Afghanistan as "too far from the facts" and stressed that he "can't stand this kind of false statement."